Painter

Passionate about Egyptian art and culture, Judi Barrowman has studied the subject for over 20 years and is a prominent figure in the world of Egyptology. Internationally acclaimed for her abstract art on the subject, Judi Barrowman’s paintings have exhibited at the Petrie Museum, McCechnie Museum, the Egyptian embassy in London, and at various art galleries and venues in the UK and throughout the US.  Read more...

Judi Barrowman studied Fine Arts at the Reigate School of Art and at Alliance Francaise in Paris. A visit to Egypt in 1985 struck a cord when Judi embarked on an extensive trip across the desert exploring ancient tombs and temples. This inspired her to pursue an unusual creative direction, to re-capture and interpret what the ancient Egyptian scribes and artists had achieved.  Judi explains that “the paintings in the rock-cut tombs at Luxor speak directly of their owners’ lives, showing an idealised version of what they had achieved in this life and what they longed for in the next.  I am fascinated by how ancient Egyptian art reflects modern day life and how modern day living has been affected by ancient Egypt.”

Since 1985, Judi Barrowman has spent half her time in Egypt, combing ancient Egyptian tombs and the desert for inspiration. Her fearless nature and a desire to know the environment informs and shapes her work.  Judi’s primary mediums are watercolour and gouache with pastel and gesso for textural effect, as used for her mesmerising desert scenes which capture the unique hues of the desert experienced through out the day and night.  View Collection…

In contrast to the desert scenes, her work created in homage to the ancient Egyptian Gods is painted in a palette to match that of the ancient Egyptian scribes.  She paints these on Indian tea paper and covers the paper with a thin wash of acrylic paint, so that the piece becomes like a buried fragment of ancient papyrus. The refined technique evokes a butterfly-wing fragility capturing the presence of time itself.  View Collection…
 
Recently returned from an extensive stay in America, Judi Barrowman currently lives in England.  She lectures and gives talks on the history of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. She is also a writer and has recently written and illustrated a book for children on animal symbolism in Egyptian art which is soon to be published. Currently Judi is working on a new series of paintings and continuing with her research trips to the deserts of Egypt.

To view samples of Judi’s work click on the Gallery. To see her current collection click here.

If you would like to view her work in person, click on Events to find out where her work is showing next.